


Jeffrey's Anniversary

by allysonandrews1982 (FonzFan82)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Anniversaries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-09-10 15:31:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 8,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8922598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FonzFan82/pseuds/allysonandrews1982
Summary: Jeffrey Christian and his wife celebrate 27 years together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Those who don't know who Jeffrey and Alicia are, I would suggest reading "Set Free" to get a better idea.

Jeffrey Christian and his wife, Alicia were planning a date for their upcoming wedding anniversary. The date of their anniversary was December on the twenty – seventh, which was shortly after Christmas. Alicia was the first to speak.

“Jeffrey?”

He likes to be known as Jeffrey more than Jeff. He looked at her and then said, “What’s that, Alicia?”

Their three children were outside playing.

“Have you come up with any idea what we can do for our anniversary?”

“Not yet, I haven’t. How about you?”

Alicia shook her head and answered, “Neither have I.”

“We’ll keep talking about it. There is still enough time to think it over.”

Alicia agreed.

“What did you think of that interview with Mr. Francis a few months ago?”

“I wasn’t there, Jeffrey. Only you can answer that.”

He nodded and saw she had a good point.

“You’re right, Alicia. I wonder if he found somebody to take over from where he took of before leaving.”

It isn’t often the two visit social media, so there was no way of knowing.

“So do I. If that person did take over, I wish him luck,” Alicia replied.

Jeffrey had a job interview with Paul Francis not too long ago. It was about the music media, and that was something he was interested in, and thought it wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot.

They were going to eat out that night for the both of them, so the kids would stay at home with a baby – sitter.

They decided to eat out tonight so they might or might not decide to do it on their anniversary.

They would be married for twenty – seven years together. And they had a good twenty – seven years. At least there were arguments along the way, and that was normal.

They were going to try not to ruin their anniversary by arguing.

A few days later, they both decided to go out and see a movie. It isn’t often Jeffrey and Alicia go to the movies, so it looked to be the perfect time to do that.

“What would you want to see?”

“Let’s decide when we get there,” she answered.

“That makes sense,” he agreed.

This was something they normally do.

“Have you any idea you would like us to leave the house, Jeffrey?”

“Not yet, but we will decide who to look after the kids.”

That was something they both agreed on, and she looked at the clock. It was almost time to eat dinner.

“How you like the idea of having dinner soon?” she asked.

“What about now? Does that sound good to you?” he asked.

“Let me get a move on now.”

He watched her leave him and to the kitchen to get started. Then he went to turn on the television.


	2. Chapter 2

Jeffrey and Alicia talked some more about their upcoming anniversary.

It is a week or two away from their wedding anniversary. There was still more time to talk about what they could do.

By the time gets closer, they would both agree on something.

“Jeffrey?”

“Yes, Alicia?”

“I have another idea what we can do.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“One of the ideas I just thought of is we could probably go on a trip for a week.”

“I need to think about that one some more. I like the suggestion. The kids are one of the things to worry about.”

“I understand, Jeffrey. Of course we will have to find someone to look after the children.”

He nodded. That was another thing to worry about.

“Let’s keep thinking about it, Alicia. There is plenty of time for that. I like the ideas we’ve talked about so far.”

“So do I. Want me to write down our suggestions on a piece of paper?”

“That will be great. And it will help us remember what we have.”

Now it was her turn to nod. Both of them have been doing that a lot these days.

She went to grab a piece of paper and a pencil. Now she was prepared.

“Let me write down our thoughts first, and then we can go from there.”

“Okay.”

Their three children were named Chloe, Mason, and Timothy. All three of the kids got along, but there were times when they don’t. That never makes him and Alicia very happy.

Their only daughter, Chloe, heard them talking about their anniversary. 

“What are you talking about?” Chloe asked.

“Our wedding anniversary. We’re only talking ideas right now,” Alicia answered.

“Any ideas what you want to do?”

“We’ve got several of them, Chloe. We’ll agree on the right one when the time gets closer.”

“What are the ideas?”

Chloe was now interested in what her parents were talking about.

“One of them is going out to dinner and a movie,” Jeffrey answered.

“I see. What will happen to me and my brothers if you plan to do that?”

“Baby – sitter.”

“Oh. I should’ve known.”

Both Jeffrey and Alicia didn’t want to mention their road trip to Chloe because she might be asking questions about that.

So far they’re looking at a movie and dinner. Agreements could change anytime, he told himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Time was getting near Jeffrey and Alicia’s anniversary. They finally decided to take a week’s worth and take a road trip. They chose Chicago, so they did just that.

“Jeffrey, what do you think of a road trip for our anniversary?” Alicia asked.

“I was thinking about the same thing, Alicia. Were do you have in mind?”

“I thought of going to Chicago. I’d like to have a short visit with the Mercers.”

“We can do that. Do they know?”

“Of course they do. Carolyn is the one who suggested we visit them.”

“That’s settled, then. I’ll go call a hotel.”

“Jeffrey, we aren’t going to stay in a hotel! Carolyn is taking us in.”

“That’s nice of her to do that, and I don’t want to have her go through all of this trouble by letting us stay.”

Carolyn and her husband Donald Mercer were Alicia’s old high school friends. She met Donald through Carolyn, but Alicia always thought Carolyn was the better choice for him.

“I just couldn’t say no, Jeffrey. You known them a long time enough to know she and Donald are the perfect hosts.”

Jeffrey saw Alicia was right. Then he asked, “Have you tried calling a baby – sitter for the children? Chloe already knows we’re still talking about what we plan to do.”

Chloe was their only daughter and she is hardly in any trouble. Alicia agreed with Jeffrey.

“Carolyn wants us over for dinner on Tuesday evening. We better think about starting as early as we can. How does Sunday work on having a head start?”

“That’s good enough with me. We’ll just be spending only one night in a hotel before we get to Chicago for rest.”

“I see what you mean. When we go, we will need to pay a visit to the gas station. We have about eighty miles left.”

“We can do that. Eighty miles won’t last us for very long. Whose car do you want to take?” Jeffrey asked.

“Why not take your car? We’ll just leave the motorcycle here. It’s too cold out to drive the motorcycle to Chicago.”

“I’m not planning to take my motorcycle.”

Jeffrey has a motorcycle, and he likes bikes, especially motorcycles.

It was starting to get close to dinner, so Alicia headed for the kitchen.

“What would you like to have tonight, Jeffrey?”

“Why don’t we have salad, potatoes, and homemade pizza? You always make the best pizza.”

“Pizza it is, then. I’ll get right to it.”

Jeffrey always had liked mashed potatoes with pizza. He suggested salad because it was healthy. Jeffrey helped Alicia out by wiping and setting the table. The children were on their way inside when Alicia called them to come inside the house, so they did.

“What’s for dinner, Mom?” Timothy asked when he slammed the door.

“We are having homemade pizza, potatoes and salad.”

“Are we ordering the pizza from Pizza Hut?” Chloe asked.

“No, honey. It’s homemade. You should know by now pizza is always made at home and not from delivery.”

Chloe didn’t want to argue, so the only thing she did was walk into the bathroom and wash her hands.

Timothy, Mason and Chloe are good children, but it’s not very often she complains, but she also gets along with her brothers.

Chloe returned.

“Mom, is there anything I can do?”

“Thank you for your offer, but I have everything under control. Maybe next time you can.”

“Okay. I’ll be in the dining room. I want to work more on that puzzle you and Dad started.”

“You don’t need to tell us, sweetheart,” Jeffrey told his daughter.

“Do you want to help me?” Chloe asked him.

“I can do that. It will give us something to do while we’re waiting for that homemade pizza from your mother.”

“Yummy.”

So Chloe and Jeffrey had their chance to do some father and daughter time until Alicia called the family to dinner. The puzzle Jeffrey and his daughter were working on a five thousand piece with the trees and flowers along with the moon. They had succeeded with a few pieces.

“We can do more when we’re done eating.”

“Okay, Daddy. This pictures looks like a good one.”

Jeffrey had to agree.

When they all sat down, Alicia offered to say grace that night. It’s true he and his family are religious people. They pray every day when they say grace at home.

“Dad?”

That was Mason who spoke. This is the first time Mason has spoken since he, Timothy and Chloe came inside when they were asked.

“Yes, Mason?”

“What do you and Mom have decided what you want to do for your anniversary together?”

“Mason, you took those words out of my mouth,” Chloe told her brother.

“I read your mind, Sis.”

“You sure did,” she agreed.

Now Alicia spoke to answer his question.

“Where and how long?” Timothy asked.

“A week in Chicago. You all will need to have someone looks after you.”

“Who do you have in mind?” he asked.

“We don’t know yet. We haven’t started talking about that yet, but we will talk about it when we find an idea on who will watch over you for a week.”

“What’s going on in Chicago?” Chloe asked.

“Your mother has a couple of old high school friends who want to see us. Should be fun seeing old friends again.”

They ate the rest of the pizza in silence. When they finished, Mason was going to wash the dishes and load the dishwasher. About another hour or so, he, Chloe, and Timothy went to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

So the next day, Alicia had found the time to telephone all the baby – sitters who have been locals to look after Chloe, Mason, and Timothy.

The three of them were involved with after school activities, so there was no way they would be hanging around to see what would happen while he and Alicia were away.

He wasn’t at home when she made those calls because he was in town running her errands she wanted him to do.

He returned shortly after she made the fourth telephone call to other baby – sitters. So far she had no luck.

“Any luck, Alicia?” Jeffrey asked as he slammed the front door behind him.

“Nobody yet, Jeffrey. If everyone says they aren’t available, that means our only hope is to bring the kids along unless the neighbors volunteer,” she told him.

“I understand what you’re saying. It’s a waste of time right now, isn’t it or not?” he asked.

“At the moment it is. I hate this when everyone says they can’t find the time to look after the kids while we are gone for a week.”

When she finished saying that, they hugged one another.

“Do you want me to find someone to look after the kids?” he asked.

“You can try. I am not getting anywhere as fast as I wanted to. Who do you have in mind that would be responsible for three children?”

“My boss told me that he has two girls, but I will need to ask how old they are and see if they are trustworthy or not. Do you think the kids deserve a chance?”

“I would like to meet them before I see any trustworthy in the girls. That way it will give me a better idea if those daughters are responsible or not.”

“Good point. I will talk with him sometime tomorrow and see what he has to say about this idea of baby – sitting for us.”

“Okay. Maybe your boss will have to bring his family with him over so I can meet those daughters you are telling me about.”

“Alicia, if your callers say yes to us, then I won’t bother having Brandon over with his family.”

Brandon was his boss’s name. Jeffrey works in a bank, so that is how they had become friends, but one thing was that he was Jeffrey’s manager.

Alicia had met his boss a few times, but it doesn’t mean she knows him very well enough to see for herself if he sounds like a friendly person or not.

“We can give him a chance, Jeffrey. It will be for one time if they do take the job.”

“I understand. What do you have in mind?” he asked.

Then he let out a sneeze.

“Bless you, honey.”

Thanks. I knew it was going to happen anyway. Are you suggesting that we give Brandon a free trial?”

“Exactly. Do you think he would agree to that idea?” Alicia asked.

“I am sure he will. He is a nice guy. I think you will like him.”

“From what you have been saying, he does have trustworthy in him when we first met and became friends.”

“Good to know. Will do our best to find out that you have special needs.”

“There isn’t anything important if we are to have a family of his own.”

Now was the perfect time to do so and get it over with. Chloe joined them anyway but didn’t notice them.

“I think it was a nice idea of having lots of people trying to have a family of their own because of the weather today somehow the baby – sitter won’t have to waste their time of how to come up with their own ideas.”

Alicia looked at the clock. It told them the kids were almost ready to be picked up from where they ran off to.

They both hugged one another. 

“I don’t mind picking up the children,” he told her.

“All right. I will not leave the house when you return. Be safe.”

“I sure will. At least it was something I can do. I shall be back soon. It depends on traffic, and I can’t make any promises about the time.”

“I still would like to see if you will come back safely.”

“You know that the kids would be happy to see you when I come in.”

Then he left.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Jeffrey was able to get together with his boss at lunch. He brought up the topic he’d had with Alicia about baby – sitting.

“Why did you want to talk with me about, Jeffrey?” he asked.

“Alicia and I are still talking about our wedding day that’s coming up. We wanted to know if your girls are old enough to be trusted from us.”

“I like to think they are. What do you have in mind?”

“We got to talking about this the other day. Alicia has not have any luck about finding a baby – sitter for Chloe, Timothy and Mason. All of them turned her down because they had other things going on.”

“I see. Have you tried talking with the neighbors and other friends?” his boss asked.

“Alicia said something about neighbors, but not friends,” answered Jeffrey.

“Let me talk to my wife about this discussion and see what she thinks about it. Is there anything else you want to tell me about this?”

“This is something. We had this in our conversation, and she wants to give your daughters a free trial and see how they would do with our kids. What do you think? Would you approve on her suggestion?”

“Let me talk about it with my wife and we will go from there. I will share this with the girls as well so they would understand where this conversation is going.”

“That’s smart to have them involved. I will tell Alicia what you have decided if you agree on the free trial. She just wants someone who is trustworthy while we are away.”

“I will tell you in the morning and let you know what we have decided on. You are trustworthy to me. I have something I would like to talk with you now while we’re still together.”

“What’s that, sir?”

Whatever his boss had in mind, it better be good. It turned out that he was right.

“I know your anniversary is coming closer, I have a gift for you.”

“What’s that?” Jeffrey asked.

He wasn’t so sure where this is going.

“My anniversary gift to you is that I would give you a new position in the company.”

“Why is it new when I’m comfortable where I am?” Jeffrey asked.

“I will be making you be the vice – president of this company. What do you say?”

“All I’m saying is this – let me think about it.”

“All right. You have today and tomorrow to decide.”

“Okay. This is quite a surprise. I never saw this one coming. When do I do start?”

“How about when you come back. Would that work?”

“I guess so. What happened to Victoria?”

Victoria Roberts is the vice – president of the company.

“Victoria is having some family problems and is looking for something different. This is where you come on.”

“I am sorry to hear about her moving. She is a very hard worker. Do you have someone who will be taking my place?”

“I am interviewing people about this right now. There are a few of them I like, but I haven’t made up my mind quite yet.”

“Does that mean I can keep the hours I have right now?”

“No, but there will be a little change with those hours.”

“What are the changes that I need to know about?”

“I like the time changes. Here is what I have thought about. I would like you to start work at eight – ten and you can leave home at four – fifteen.”

“Those are different from what I have now. Is lunch going to be the same?”

“Yes. You will also have a new change in your salary that you have now.”

“How much would I be paid?”

His boss told him. Jeffrey had been with this company for about ten years now, and he is moving up in the world.

“I will share this with Alicia when we have dinner tonight. Since you have given me a new job, I will take my family out tonight to celebrate.”

“That is something that you could do with news like this, Mr. Christian.”

The two men talked during the rest of their lunch break about other things that had nothing to do with business and family. The hours Jeffrey has right now is the usual schedule – nine to five. He isn’t so sure about the new hours he had just been given. He’d been friends with Victoria for about four years now and was sorry to hear about her problems that are happening right now.

Since Jeffrey is a religious person, he would be praying to the Lord about this new job. He decided now was the perfect time and see if God will open new doors for this new position. At least this is the best news he’s heard for a while now. He left home at five. The kids had to be in bed early tonight because it’s a school night. They will have this celebration short. Let’s start talking to God now, he told himself as he drove away from work.


	6. Chapter 6

Jeffrey and Alicia were talking at dinner again. He was telling her about the lunch date he had with his boss earlier that day.

Alicia was the one who brought up that topic. Then he answered.

“What did your boss say about having his girls come over to watch our kids when we are with Carolyn and Donald?” 

“He liked your idea about giving them a free trial and see how it turns out. Do you want to start it when we go to Chicago?”

“Yes. They have to follow our rules we come up with. Do you think your boss will agree to that?”

“I think he would. I will tell him when I see him tomorrow.”

“Okay. You can let me know then.”

“I always do, don’t I?”

“Almost always.”

Chloe spoke this time.

“Mom, Dad, does this mean I can be responsible enough to do that job? You know how we feel about having new people watching us when you aren’t around.”

“Chloe, we talked about this several times now. You are too young to be home alone. You don’t have a car to drive you and your brothers around places when you need to,” Alicia told her, and then added, “we think you will break the rules if we let you three by yourselves.”

The boys wanted to add in the argument, but they didn’t want it to be bigger than it is now.

“Has Jesus answered your prayer about opening the door for your new position?”

“I started praying about it when he mentioned it at lunch. This is why I want you to help pray for this. I don’t know how well it’s going to work out.”

“We’ll pray about it during this entire thing. Even the kids will help pray, wouldn’t you?” Alicia asked.

“What kind of new job are you talking about?” Mason asked.

He still didn’t understand.

“What about that position you were offered with the rock ‘n’ roll business you were applying for?” Timothy asked.

“It’s behind us now, Timothy. It didn’t work out for either us or Christ,” Jeffrey answered.

“Oh. That would’ve been awesome if you did take that job. You would be signing autographs all the time, wouldn’t you?” Mason asked.

“No, I won’t be doing that sort of thing. That’s what the musicians do, not the staff unless they are involved,” Jeffrey answered.

“That sounds like a cool name for a band. I want to have my own band when I am out of college,” Timothy said.

“We’ll talk about it some more if you’re still interested in it when you are in high school,” Alicia told him.

“That sounds like that will be forever,” he complained.

“We don’t complain in this family, remember? That doesn’t make Jesus happy when we do complain, and it’s a sin,” Jeffrey continued.

He wasn’t in the mood to argue with the children.

“I don’t want to argue with you kids tonight. So you don’t need to talk about this every day, sweetheart,” Jeffrey told Chloe.

“Okay. It’s still not fair.”

“We think it’s best to talk about it before you reach eighth grade.”

“Your mother is right, dear. Let’s just leave this topic alone until then. Can you do that for us?”

Chloe wanted to keep up with the subject, but she didn’t say anything more about it.

“Are you and Mom driving or flying?” Mason asked, changing the subject on baby – sitting.

He was starting to get tired of his sister’s complaining.

“We are going to drive,” Jeffrey answered.

“Okay. How early do you plan to leave?” Mason asked.

“Once you kids leave for school.”

“We’ll miss you. We won’t be able to say good – bye later if you left at night,” Timothy said.

Even he was starting to get tired of his sister’s complaining.

“You will still get to do that when you leave for the bus to school,” Alicia told them.

That’s when their argument ended.

“Does that mean your boss is coming here to look after us?” Chloe asked.

“Yes. You will be staying here. We are just giving them a free trial. If they are responsible enough to look after you and your brothers, then they will be your future sitters.”

“Hasn’t he said he would think it over with his wife?” Alicia asked.

“He will let me know tomorrow what he and his wife have discussed,” he answered.

“We will help you pray about this new job, Jeffrey. What are his daughter’s names? And his wife?” Alicia asked.

“LeAnne. The girls are Christine and Courtney.”

“leAnne is a pretty name,” Alicia said.

“It is. Do you kids have homework to do?”

“No, Dad. We did it after school, didn’t we, Mom?”

“Yes, Timothy. You may watch television if you want.”

They then were excused.

“Let’s start praying now,” he said as he helped her clear the table.

“We will do some after the dishes are in the dishwasher and again before we go to bed,” she said.

“I like that. Maybe He will open that door for us while we’re away in Chicago.”

“He should. When does Brandon want you to start?”

“When we get back,” he answered as he put the dishes away after she washed them and handed them to him.

“All right. Let’s go into the bedroom where it’s quieter and the kids are distracted.”

Then they closed the door and got to their normal place to pray.

He began to start the prayer.

“Mind if I start?” he asked.

“That’s fine. It’s your job for this new position.”

“Right. Father, please help us drive safely to Chicago for our wedding anniversary. We would like You to decide whether or not if I should get that vice – president job at the office.

“I like that Mr. Thomas has thought it over and wants me to move up in the company. In Jesus’s Name.

“Is there anything you would like to add, Alicia?”

“Father, we have the agreement to have Courtney and her sister try out a free trial for our children. This is up to You about this moving on to a new chapter in our lives, especially Jeffrey because of his promotion at the bank.

“It is between You and the children to agree to have Courtney and her sister have us for their future clients. In Your Name, Amen.”

That was the end of the prayer. They both heard the kids starting to get sleepy because of them yawning. Now they came out of the bedroom and into the living room.

“It’s time for bed,” Alicia said.

“We think so too, Mom. Good – night,” Mason said and followed his brother and sister to bed.

“Do you want to watch TV?” he asked.

“I want the weather channel. I want to see what it’s going to be like tomorrow.”

“We can do that. I am going to have some ice cream. Do you want any?” he asked.

“Okay.”

She turned the television to the weather channel. After they had their weather report, they turned the channel. After about an hour, they decided to head on to bed themselves.


	7. Chapter 7

So Jeffrey saw Brandon again the next day. They had lunch again together. Jeffrey and Alicia had been praying to God about the promotion he was just given.

“Mr. Thomas, I have made my decision about your promotion you gave me.”

“You’ve known me a long time now, Jeffrey. You don’t need to keep calling me by my last name. What decision did you make?”

“Alicia and I talked about this for a while once you gave me this job. Remember you hearing me say I am a Christian?”

“I do remember. Why do you need to bring up God in a topic like this? You’re not preaching me a sermon.”

“I know that. We have prayed about it. God opened the door for me to take this promotion you have given me. We decided to give this new job a chance. When do you want me to start?”

“As soon as you get back from your anniversary. What do you say?”

“I will take it. We would like you to come for dinner one of these nights. When would you and your wife be available to eat with us?”

“I need to talk with her first. When do you expect my answer?” Brandon asked.

“How about in the morning? This should give you some time to talk it over with your girls and see what they have to say about having this responsibility.”

“All right. I do remember you saying that you leave shortly for Chicago. Do you plan to fly or drive?”

“We’re driving. We are just going to see a couple of old high school friends of hers.”

“It’s always nice to catch up.”

“Yes, it is. We will be staying at their place. They don’t want us to check in a hotel and come home to pay for the bill.”

“Understandable. You can tell them about the promotion I offered you.”

“I will do that. They would like to hear the latest outside my family life.”

Brandon nodded.

“We will talk with Courtney and her sister. They are excited to have a try at this sort of thing. Then they can see for themselves on how this is a big responsibility.”

“I’m sure they will. Just let us know what you have agreed on.”

“You will hear from me,” he said.

“Of course I will hear from you, Mr. Thomas. You are a good man.”

“Thank you, Jeffrey. I like hearing that from you and the other employees. Not very often I hear stuff like that.”

Jeffrey nodded, letting him know he agreed to what he had just said.

“What day would you like me to start this new job?” he asked.

“I already told you that. Didn’t you hear what I told you before?”

“I guess I did. Sorry if I asked that question twice.”

“That’s all right. So are you going to give us only one or two trials for the kids you have?”

“We haven’t said anything about more than two trials, but I will bring it up at supper tonight. The children will not say anything unless they have things to ask.”

“That makes a lot of sense to me.”

“I just wanted to apologize from what I said about religion.”

“Next time, do me a favor.”

“What’s that?” Jeffrey asked.

“Never talk about religion ever again. Can you do that for me?”

“I will try.”

“Don’t try. Just do it.”

Jeffrey could tell Brandon meant every word he what he had just said, so he dropped the subject.

“That’s better. Will you not bring up religion to my family? We aren’t religious.”

“Sorry if I brought it up.”

Jeffrey meant every word. Brandon saw that he made sense.

“Good. Glad we got that out of the way.”

It isn’t too often Jeffrey and his family talk about their faith in public places besides church. They all have friends that don’t seem to care much about religion and the Bible, and that doesn’t make him very happy about that.

Lunch ended ten minutes later today. It was finally time to get back to work.


	8. Chapter 8

Brandon Thomas arrived to his place sometime before six – fifteen that evening. He found his wife making dinner when he walked in.

“Hi, honey. I am home.”

Brandon normally slams the door and puts his things away on the dining room table.

“Hi, Brandon. How was your day?”

“Busy You know how it is when you work in a bank.”

He had been working in the bank for over thirty years now and now has been recently given Jeffrey Christian a new job at the bank. Jeffrey decided to accept.

“What are we having tonight?”

“Hamburger and salad.”

“Sounds tasty. Where are the girls?”

“Upstairs doing their homework. Courtney said something about you can help her with her math.”

“I will do my best. I have been talking with Jeffrey lately.”

“I remember hearing you talking about him a lot. What about him do you want to share with me?” she asked.

“Do you remember me telling you about his wedding anniversary with his wife that’s coming up?”

“I do. What about it?”

“He invited us to dinner at his place. He wants to meet with the girls to see if they can be trusted by watching after his children,” Brandon answered.

“What did you agree on?”

“He wants to give us a free trial so they can see the girls can do their job as future baby – sitters.”

“I get the picture. I agree we should let the girls take this free trial.”

“I will tell him that. There is something else I want to share with you.”

“What’s that?”

“I offered him to be vice – president of the bank. Victoria has some issues going on, but I doubt she would be coming back.”

“At least you can have a change there. It’s always nice to have a change,” she told him.

“True. So do you would like to go to his place for supper so they could meet my family?”

“When?”

Brandon told her.

“That sounds good to me. I can do that.”

“Good. The girls have to be open also so they could get the chance to meet and know him. Don’t worry, he’s a good guy.”

“That’s nice to know. What did you say his wife’s name was?”

“Alicia,” was the answer.

“I don’t think I know anyone by that name.”

“He told me they are members of the closest Nazarene church that is near them.”

“Wait a minute. I think I have heard of her before. Why are you bringing up religion for?”

“He was the one who mentioned it.”

“Oh. I don’t remember where I heard her name before, but it is familiar.”

“He and I mostly talk about business, but not a whole lot of family and friends.”

“Now it’s my turn to ask something.”

“What’s that?”

“How many free trials do we get from him?”

“He said it is just one.”

“That makes sense. I hope the girls can have a big responsibility for this kind of thing. Let’s see how they can handle this on their own.”

“That we will have to find out when it starts,” he agreed.

“What did you say their day starts?”

“Soon. I don’t remember the exact date. I told him he starts this new job when he gets back.”

“How long did he say they’ve been married?”

“He said this will be their twenty – seventh.”

“Long time.”

“That’s right.”

“Will you tell the girls we’re ready to sit down and eat?”

“I will.”

So he did just that. The girls came immediately to the table.

“Daddy, are we still going to have that job with your friend?” Courtney asked.

“Yes, but they have a condition for us when we start the job.”

“What?” Courtney asked.

She hoped this would be something good. She waited for him to go on, which he did.

“Mr. Christian said the condition he has come up with his wife is that we are given one free trial enough and see where you are going from this.”

“Why a free trial?” her sister asked.

“They just want to see how you can be trusted with a responsibility like this. If you do follow the rules and pass, they will decide for themselves that they could use you in the future.”

“Where are they going?”

“Chicago,” he answered.

“That’s a long way from us.”

“Yes, it is. They are going because she has some old friends she wants to see and it’s their wedding anniversary.”

“Oh. I can’t wait to start!” Courtney exclaimed.

“Let’s not rush through this,” his wife said.

“We’re going to tell our friends about this!” Courtney’s sister said.

“Just one trial is all we get, and that’s what we agreed on.”

“Okay.”

Then fifteen minutes later, they all finished eating and were excused. The girls went back to their homework.

A couple of hours later, they all got tired since it had been a long day, and that made lots of sense. Brandon kissed his family good – night. They went to bed after he did. He hoped to get a good – night’s sleep tonight.


	9. Chapter 9

Jeffrey and Alicia were planning to leave for Chicago on Friday this upcoming week. They were going to meet with Brandon and his family for dinner tonight. They didn’t want to do anything fancy, and they decided Mexican seemed to be the best choice. 

“I will tell Brandon at lunch today about what we will be doing for dinner, Alicia.”

“Okay. Are you going to call me what you have an agreement for tonight?” Alicia asked.

Alicia sounded a bit nervous when she asked that question. She had never met Brandon Thomas and his family before, so this is why he didn’t blame her.

“Mr. Thomas is friendly, Alicia. Don’t bring up the subject of Jesus, okay?”

“Why’s that?” she asked.

“It’s because they aren’t religious,” Jeffrey answered.

“I get it. I would like to get this anniversary over with.”

“I know. We’ll be there for a short while.”

“When does Brandon expect you to start this new job he offered you?” Alicia asked.

“I will have to ask him that again. He did say when we’re done with Chicago, I can start. Again he could change his mind.”

That was something she figured and understood.

“I understand. If he does change his mind, we can always get on Skype with Donald and Carolyn,” she agreed.

“I like that idea, Alicia. If anything does change, I will let you know.”

“That makes sense, Jeffrey,” she said and their phone begin to ring. She went to answer it.

“Hello?”

Jeffrey could hear the conversation.

“Hello, Alicia. This is Donald,” the caller said.

He recognized the voice. It was the voice of Donald Mercer from Chicago.

“Donald! What a surprise to hear from you!” she said and then added, “we weren’t expecting to hear from you.”

“I know, Alicia. Carolyn wanted me to give you and Jeffrey a call. She would have done it herself, but she had some errands to run.”

“I don’t understand why you’re calling us. We were just talking about you.”

“Good things, I hope.”

Alicia didn’t say anything when he did.

“Alicia, I’m afraid we will have to put your visit to Chicago on hold for a while,” Donald told her.

She saw Jeffrey was still here with her, and it told her he wanted to hear what their friend had to say.

“I still don’t understand why you’re calling us,” Alicia told him.

“I’m getting to that right now, Alicia. I’m calling because I sprained my right ankle.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything that Jeffrey and I can do?”

“Carolyn didn’t want you both to come all the way out to celebrate your anniversary by just helping me get around. This is why I’m calling you, Alicia. I hope you understand. We can still get on Skype.”

“That’s what I was telling Jeffrey. Both of us were looking forward to our visit with you.”

“So were we. I hope you’re not too disappointed.”

“Just a little bit. Give Carolyn a hug for us.”

“We will make this up. Trust me, Alicia. I’ll let Carolyn know we talked.”

“All right, Donald. Tell her I will plan to talk with her later. You take care.”

“Same to you, Alicia.”

Then they ended their phone call.

“What do you make out on that?”

“That’s a disappointment, honey. I will tell Mr. Thomas about this at lunch.”

“Good idea. We can still go out.”

“I’ll let you know what he says.”

Even Jeffrey was disappointed.

“Maybe we can do something with her and Donald some other time. Maybe we’ll make up for it when it’s their anniversary.”

“I like that idea also, honey,” she said.

“You still want me to call you what Mr. Thomas has to say?”

“Please do. I need to know how this turns out. You can tell him about Donald and Carolyn.”

“I will mention it to him. I’m sure he could still be open to eat with us tonight. If not, we can go out on our own. How does that sounds to you?” 

“That can work.”

She said that when the clock begin to chime. The time told them it was now seven – thirty. Chloe, Timothy, and Mason were finishing up in the bathroom. Alicia had made them oatmeal and toast. The bus was come shortly.

“The bus should be here soon, so you better hurry up!” Jeffrey yelled at the top of his lungs.

Still no sign of them, but he knew for sure that they all heard what he said. Jeffrey hadn’t yet eaten breakfast, so he won’t leave for the bank until another hour and a half, so he still has plenty of time left.

“I’m going shopping today. Is there anything you need?” Alicia asked him.

He shook his head and replied, “No.”

“Just checking to see if you did.”

“Nothing this time. If I remember right, we’re running out of toilet paper.”

“I already have that on the list. I should leave around eight – thirty for an early start.”

“That makes sense.”

He and Alicia heard the school bus coming. He once again yelled for them to come on down or they would be late for school.

Then he saw the three of them run downstairs and out of the door. None of them bothered to yell good – bye as they normally do. Once they hopped onto the bus, Jeffrey finally rejoined Alicia in the kitchen. Now it was time for breakfast.

“If you don’t mind, Alicia, I’m going to leave. I think it makes sense to get there early. I want to do this so I won’t bring the topic of Carolyn and Donald at lunch.”

He poured himself a cup of fresh coffee Alicia had just made when the kids were coming down to go to school. Alicia poured him a bowl of Raisin Bran. They were running out, so he finished the rest of it. Then she ended up throwing the box out. He offered to pour the milk by himself, and Alicia didn’t seem to care either way. They didn’t say much during their breakfast. When he finished, Jeffrey had the time to kiss Alicia on his way out, and she returned it back. Now it was time to head over to the bank.


	10. Chapter 10

Once again, Jeffrey was able to have lunch with Brandon. Since he was available, now was the time to tell Brandon about their anniversary being canceling out. Even the Mercers felt bad. Jeffrey and Brandon had Subway for lunch. All they did was ordered and then they headed back to the office and eat.

“Mind if we talk, Mr. Thomas?” Jeffrey asked.

“Jeffrey, you and I have been working together for a long time now, but you still don’t need to do that today.”

Then Brandon asked, “What do you want to talk about?”

Jeffrey saw he looked interested, so he continued.

“Remember Alicia and I have planned on going to Chicago?”

“Yes, I do. What about Chicago do you need to tell me?” Brandon asked.

“Well, we have been looking forward to this trip. Then we got a phone call from our friends. They had to cancel out because he had sprained something.”

“That’s too bad, Jeffrey. What do you have in mind now?”

“Just stay home and watch a movie while the children are in bed. Alicia liked the idea of watching a movie on television. We don’t do that very much.”

“I’ll be sure to tell the family, Jeffrey. The girls were really looking forward to their baby – sitting job.”

“Have they ever had any baby – sitting jobs?”

Brandon shook his head and answered, “This is their very first time.”

“Maybe we can try again next time, Mr. Thomas. We can have supper together and go from there.”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

“When do you want me to start my new job?” Jeffrey asked.

“Monday morning.”

That’s when both men stood up. They already finished eating their sandwiches.

“Thank you, sir. I shall look forward to my new job.”

“I shall see you again on Monday, Jeffrey. The new job from me is your anniversary gift.”

“Thank you, Mr. Thomas. You really didn’t have to give me any gifts for my anniversary.”

“You are welcome, Jeffrey. This new job I have given you is one of the reasons that you are one of my best employees. I would like to welcome you aboard.”

“Thank you, sir. This is something that is worth celebrating with the family.”

Jeffrey really meant what he had just said to Brandon. This really made his week.


	11. Chapter 11

When Jeffrey returned to the house from work, Alicia was already in the kitchen starting dinner. Tonight he and his family were going to have ham. Since Easter is tomorrow, they usually stay at home after church and spend the time together as a family. They usually have meatloaf on Easter holidays, but tonight it was ham. Chloe, Mason, and Timothy were upstairs when he walked inside. He saw Alicia looked in his way when he slammed the door behind him. He works for a few hours on Saturday.

“Hi, Jeffery.”

Alicia stopped what she was doing so they could kiss and hug.

“Hi, Alicia. How was your day?”

“It was good. How about you?”

“Same. I talked with Mr. Thomas at lunch.”

“What did he say about our trip being canceled?”

“He didn’t say much. All I did today was pack up my old office,” Jeffrey told her, and then added, “but I’ll just leave my stuff in the car.”

“Sounds like a good idea, honey. Will you tell the kids to start thinking about washing up and join us for supper?” Alicia asked.

“Yes.”

He went upstairs and did what Alicia told him. Twenty – seven years together and they hardly ever argued, and that was a good thing. He returned to the kitchen.

“They’re on their way. Anything I can do?”

“No. You had a full day of packing up from your old job. I can do it.”

“Okay.”

Alicia almost always was a fast cook, but tonight was one of them. Jeffrey helped himself by pouring a full glass of water. That’s when he put his glass down on the kitchen table. Alicia joined him shortly when they both saw Chloe, Mason, and Timothy run into the kitchen.

“What are we having?” Timothy asked Alicia.

So she told them.

“Okay. That sounds good to me,” Chloe said.

Her brothers didn’t say anything.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, honey?”

“When do you start your new job?” Chloe asked.

“I start on Monday since Chicago is out of the question. Your mother and I will be staying here at home and watch movies on TV.”

“Can we join?” Timothy asked.

“No,” Alicia answered.

“Bummer,” he said.

Mason agreed with his brother since Jeffrey and Alicia haven’t done that in a while, so they deserve to do just that.

“Alicia, let’s plan on having our movie night tomorrow when the kids are in bed. How does that sound to you?”

“That works for me.”

“Then we’ll go from there.”

“Are we going to church?” Chloe asked.

“We are,” Alicia answered.

“Okay.”

It was a really nice and sunny day when Jeffrey and his family arrived at the church they attended. Their friends who also are members of the church were away, so they wouldn’t be available to chat.

The Easter service lasted for an hour as they usually held them at the time, which is ten – forty – five. Jeffrey and his family stayed at the church until the service ended.

“That was a really nice service,” Alicia said, Jeffrey agreed.

Jeffrey hadn’t yet flipped through the list of movies that would be on for tonight. It really never mattered either to either one of them. They would watch whatever was on. The kids stayed up until their usual bedtimes but they were also disappointed it wasn’t a family movie night.

The whole family had always eaten meatloaf on Easter holidays. He was able to help Alicia with the meal.

“You really don’t have to help, Jeffrey. Just let me work alone.”

“Fine with me, but I’d wish you would let me help so that way everything would be put on the table faster.”

“You can help me next time, but thank you got offering to help.”

“You’re welcome, Alicia. I can make popcorn for our movie night.”

“That’s fine with me. At least it will give you the chance to do something.”

Jeffrey nodded.

“I know.”

Alicia had appreciated it when he helps her with chores around the house. About an hour or so later, Alicia had everything on the table and called everyone to join her. Mason was the first to sit at his usual place at the table. Before he sat down, he poured himself a cup of milk. When he poured his milk, Jeffrey, Timothy, and Chloe joined them.

When they ate, nobody said much at all. For some reason, nobody had anything to say. Jeffrey and Alicia were the first one to finish eating. They let their children take their time to go through the meal. When they finished, everyone did the dishes together without any complaining. A few house later, the kids were able to go to bed. Once they watched to make sure all the lights were off before he and Alicia sat on the couch.

After they had watched the movie that was now playing within fifteen minutes when it was still the beginning, Jeffrey stood up from the couch and went into the kitchen to make some popcorn. To tell the truth, there wasn’t any, so he added popcorn to the list. He then rejoined Alicia on the couch once more.

“Alicia, we are out of popcorn. I added it to the list.”

“That’s all right. I don’t think the popcorn is a big deal.”

Thirty minutes later, Alicia looked at him and gave him a kiss. He did the same thing in return. It was around nine – thirty PM when their movie ended. They both got up from the couch and stretched.

“That movie was okay. What do you think?” Jeffrey asked.

“I have to agree, honey. It’s not a favorite.”

“That’s true. Let’s get to bed. I am starting to get tired.”

“So am I. Thank you for being a good husband.”

“Thanks for being a good wife. Many more.”

They both turned the lights off and locked the doors. Then they were able to go to bed. Jeffrey let Alicia go first since he is a gentleman by letting women and children first. That was one of the reasons Alicia had always liked about him. While waiting, Jeffrey checked on the kids. There were all fast asleep, which he found was good. Then he was able to take his turn when Alicia took her side of the bed.

Tomorrow was Monday, and that reminded Jeffrey it was his first day on his new job. Once he was cleaned up, Jeffrey dried himself off and then took his side of the bed. Alicia was still awake. 

“Happy Easter and anniversary,” Alicia told him as she yawned.

“Same to you. See you in the morning.”

Then they fell asleep.


End file.
